Between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM on August 15, 2024, nineteen medical students and one housemaster from the University of Jos (UNIJOS) and University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) were kidnapped in Otukpo, Benue state, on their way to the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) annual national convention in Enugu state.
On the morning of August 16, at 11:09 AM, one of the kidnapped UNIJOS students and X user @OgbonnaGeorgeC1, now identified as Ogbonna George Chukwuebuka, tweeted that he had been kidnapped in Benue state, and the public should contact his sister.
Later that day, at 7:26 PM, another kidnapped UNIJOS student and X user @King_Aondona, named Kwaghaondo Aondona Kingsley, tweeted that the kidnappers are demanding the ransom of ₦50 million, the victims are hungry, and left a phone number of one the kidnappers allegedly named Pius. Pius is the one collecting the ransom. In a subsequent tweet, @King_Aondona noted that “They (the kidnappers) would start killing us tomorrow (August 17, 2024).”
FECAMDS put out a press release on August 17, condemning the kidnapping of medical students and stating their communication to the families of those directly affected. Some X users retorted that the event should’ve been cancelled in solidarity with the victims and that a protest should be happening already.
Different medical and student associations, like the Nigerian Medical Students Association (NiMSA) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), have also issued public letters urging the federal government (FG) to intervene quickly. Still, the FG has not responded, nor has the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).
On August 18, an agitated student and X user @Joemedikaks tweeted at Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the NPF’s Public relations officer, that nothing’s been done about the kidnap case. The Police’s PRO, @Princemoye1, responded callously in a quote tweet that that the police aren’t expected to update a case as such online.
In further responses to X users’ inquiries about the case, the Police PRO said that their only concern is to rescue the victims unhurt, not disclose what the police are doing about it. He also noted that the Inspector General of Police would meet the Command of Police Benue on August 19.
Also, on August 18, Lucky Emonefe, the Nigerian Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) president, issued a statement condemning the evil act. In his speech, he stated that the NANS is “engaging with relevant authorities to demand immediate action to rescue the abducted students and ensure their safe release.”
In solidarity with the kidnapped students, the hashtag #FreeThe20MedStudents has been holstered. This case is a prime example and reminder of long-time insecurity in Nigeria, as it comes in the heat of the case of Dr Ganiyat Popoola, who has been in captivity since December 2023.
What Nigerians are saying
This is a developing story.
